Is this month's theme about shifting your mindset when you are down or upset, helping you to get in a happiness habit?
I saw this quote from Shawn Achor, psychologist and author, that got me thinking about the importance of being happy:
“You have to train your brain to be positive just like you work out your body.”*
Loved his idea about considering happiness as something that needs a routine, just like exercising your body on a daily basis.
Try This: Get into a Happiness Habit
For getting into a habit, put your favorite idea below on your calendar every day for at least a week, then reevaluate if it works for you. If so, stretch the calendar event through 30 days and see if it becomes a habit without the need for a reminder. Here are the great ideas from Shawn Acho’s website** that you can use to start your own happiness habit:
- 3 Gratitudes: Write down three new things you are grateful for each day; rewire your brain for greater optimism.
- The Doubler: Spend two minutes describing a meaningful experience from over the past 24 hours; double the meaning in your life.
- Fun Fifteen: Add 15 minutes of fun, active cardio; create a cascade of success.
- Meditation: Invest two minutes to train your brain to just watch your breath; undo negative effects of multitasking.
- Conscious Act of Kindness: Take two minutes to write an email, thanking one person in your social support network; increase the greatest happiness predictor.
From the ideas above, what will you try? Believe me, you will begin to smile with your new happiness habit. My favorite is the last one, a conscious act of kindness using email and when in-person with friends.
* Shawn Achor's quote: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/shawn_achor_551129
** Shawn Achor's ideas: https://www.shawnachor.com/happiness-advantage-key-takeaways/